Electrical receptacle.



. closing the inner part.

UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE.

PHILIP H. FIELDING, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

ELECT-RICAL RECEPTACLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 714,290, dated November 25, 1902. Application filed tl'annary 18, 1902- Serial No. 90,300. (No model.)

To all. whom iii-may concern: I

tacles, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to receptacles for incandescent lamps, plugs, and other similar electrical devices,and is an improvement upon the device described in United States Patent No. 660,154, issued to me October 23, 1900. The receptacle therein described consists, in general, of two main partsan inner part to which all the connecting and contact devicesv are attached and an outer part which serves as a shield completely. surrounding and in- An important advantage of the patented device resides in the fact-thatthe conductors are connected with it without cutting and splicing them, as was before necessary, the operation consisting simply in removing-a portion of the insulation and loopingthetwire behind the hinding-screw. To adapt. this device for a wiring-molding, with which it was to be most commonly. used, the inner part carrying the contacts was made of the same or less width as the space between the grooves for the con-l -ductors in the molding, and the bindingscrews, one on each side, were located imme .diately aboveor opposite the grooves,so that the conductor would simplyhave to belifted from the groove and brought into engagement with the binding-screw. In this patented construction, however, the space in the receptacle between the binding-screws and the.

wooden molding was left open for the entrance of the looped conductor and formed an elongated chamber or groove, and it has .tsince been found in practice that sparking,

which might take place at or about the binding-screws, is liable to set fire to the molding on account of this open space provided for the admission of the wire.

, In my improved receptacle I have therefore provided a construction whereby the continuous wire can be .looped,as before,-through the receptacleand yet have the space between the' binding-screwsand the face of the molding closed by a shield of porcelain or 3 "other insulating material of which the receptacle is made. 'The details of this construction will be more fully described hereinafter and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan of the receptacle applied to the wiringmolding, the cap of the latter being omitted. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section through.one of the grooves of the molding and centrally through the outer part of the receptacle, showing the inner part thereof in side elevation. Fig. 3 isa side elevation of the inner part of the receptacle. Fig. 4. is a transverse central section of the molding and the inner part of the receptacle, the outer part of the receptacle being shown in dotted lines; and Fig. 5 is a plan of the bottom of the receptacle.

Aindicates a wiring-molding with which the receptacle is most commonly used. It has, as usual, two grooves a at for the positive and negative conductors, (indicatedby b.) The inner portion of the receptacle is a porcelain block 0, the middle part of which is of such width as to fit between the two grooves of the molding. It is provided with end extensions 0, having perforations for fasteningscrews, which will be hereinafter referred to. On each side of the part 0 metal clips 0 and 0 respectively, are secured, each of which carries a binding-screw cilocated directly opposite the respective grooves and intended to clamp the respective conducting-wires. The clip 0 connects withthe metallic lampsocket cl and the clip 0 extends to the middle of the bottom of said socket and presents a naked surface, forming a center contact for the lamp. Immediately beneath each binding-screw the part 0 is provided with lateral lips e and e,which entirely cover the grooves a a for some distance to the right and left of the vertical plane of the screw and close an extended area of the bottom of the receptacle. Thus when carrying a conductor from the groove to the binding-screw it is to be looped over the ends of the lip, as shown inFig. 2. For this reason openings are provided in the bottom of the receptacle at the extremities of the lips,which take the form of grooves f, f f and f to admit the conductors at these points.

' The outer part G of the receptacle is prac tically the same in all respects as the corresponding part described in the before-mentioned patent. Itis provided with extensions 9 at each end,having perforations for fastening-screws g, which at the same time pass through the perforations in the end pieces 0 of the inner part and at once secure both the outer and theinner parts to the molding. In applying this receptacle to the molding and fastening the wires thereto the insulation is removed from short portions of the wires and the naked portions looped over the respective lips and secured to the binding-screws, as shown in Fig. 2. The inner part is then adjusted to the face of the molding in its proper position between the two grooves, the outer part then set in place over it, and both parts secured by the two screws g. When thus assembled,it will be seen that the two lips act as shields between the contact parts and the face of the molding, so that any sparks which may by accident or otherwise be developed at the contacts cannot touch the molding and cause a fire.

In some forms of my receptacle the extensions c on the inner piece are omitted, 'the shape of the center piece at the ends then beingsubstantially as indicated by the dotted lines it in Fig. 5. This'form can be used fairly well on molding,inasmuch as the outer part G, together with the molding, will hold the inner part in place; but when the receptacle is used without a molding or other similar support it is necessary to have the extensions c and secure them to the parts g in order to prevent the inner piece from falling out. The form illustrated is therefore preferred as being of more universal application; but whichever form is used the shieldinglips serve the same purpose.

Having described my invention, I claim 1. An electrical appliance adapted to be connected with line-wires, provided with two openings in its bottom for each wire with which it is connected, a continuous closed passage being provided from one opening to another through the body of the appliance for acontinuous wire, and fastening devices for the wire in said passage.

2. The combination of a wiring-molding and an electric appliance adapted to be applied thereto, the latter provided With binding devices located opposite the grooves in said molding, isolating-shields interposed between said binding devices and the face of the molding, the appliance being provided with openings at each end of the shield and in line with the grooves for the wire in the groove, substantially as described.

3. The combination of a wiring-molding block of insulating material having means and an electric appliance adapted to be applied thereto, the latter consisting of an inner and an outer part, the inner part being adapted to be placed between the grooves of the molding and provided with lateral lips extendin g over said grooves, binding devices carried by said inner part above the lips and an opening at each end of a lip to admit thewire in the groove to the appliance.

4. An appliance for electrical purposes, consisting of an outer and an inner part of insulating material, the latter carrying the. contacts and connections and one part having perforated end extensions for fasteningscrews, openings for the line-wires on the under side of said extensions, said openings communicating by closed passages leading through the body of the receptacle from one extension to the other, and fastening devices for wires, located in said passages.

5. An electrical appliance for use at the junction of main and branch circuits, consisting of a supporting-block, case or frame-of insulating material, having located inside thereof the necessary binding devices for conductors, and provided wholly within the edges of its bottom face, with two openings which connect with each other by a passage leading through the interior of the appliance, said passage and openings being adapted to receive a continuous electrical conductor,which enters through one of the said openings and passes out through the other.

6. In a receptacle, the combination of a upon it for forming electrical connection with an incandescent lamp, terminals to said means, laterally-projecting sections on opposite sides of the block, a shell of insulating material surrounding the block and made I00 with a hollow interior such that a space is left above the said projecting sections, grooves through said shell for conducting-wires, said grooves being substantially in line with the spaces above the lateral projections from the 10 5 sides of the block, substantially as described.

7. In a receptacle for an incandescentlamp, the combination of a block of insulating material, contact-pieces thereon, terminals connected to said pieces, a shell of insulating no material inclosing said block and grooves in the said shell for the reception of conducting-wires for connection to said terminals, substantially as described.

In witness whereof I subscribe my signa- I15 ture in presence of two witnesses.

PHILIP H. FIELDING. Witnesses:

WM. A. ROSENBAUM, WALDO M. CHAPIN. 

